Is the R1150R worth buying

batman1

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Hi Folks,

A relative of mine is thinking of selling his 2003 R1150R. it is very low mileage I think less than 4,000. The bike has been dry stored and sprayed with 365 anti corrosive fluid for most of it's life and is more or less mint.

I currently ride a GS-LC which I love, but this 1150R is fed up of being stuck in a shed and never ridden, so I'm thinking of giving it a loving home next to my GS.

What are 1150R's like to ride and own, are they a good bike, do they handle, or are they a bag of old nails?

They don't seem to hold their value quite the same as the GS or RT from what I can see, so roughly what should I be paying for a minter.

Any advice would be very much appreciated
 
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i had one as a loaner for a day once. it was dire.

absolutely dull as feck to ride, and in no way comparable to an 1150GS for reasons i don't understand.
 
What are 1150R's like to ride and own, are they a good bike, do they handle, or are they a bag of old nails?

Had (still have it, sort of...) an R1150R. Clocked more than 120.000km on it in 4/5 years.
It's a really good bike all round. Looks very good too.
Used it for everyday commuting, city use, travelling in europe and the odd trackday.

I'm looking around to buy a very used one, to use it as parts to rebuild my R1150R, that is missing the entire front end at the moment, due to a very bad accident some years ago.
Most people would buy a GS. So the price for the 1150R (and the R1200Rs too) is much lower.

If it's cheap, get it.

If you are a tall chap, I recommend you change the standard seat with the rockster's one.
On mine I also changed the bars with the Rockster bars (lower, larger) as I never really liked the position with the original ones (I'm 6'3").

do they handle

Yes, they do. Very.


Check the electric wiring around the steering as some cables tended to get cut due to too tight cable ties.
Check that the usual fuel quick release thingies (whatever they're called) have been replaced (there was a recall, but I think it was for all the 1150s, not just the R).
 
Very pleased with mine.

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R
 
Check the electric wiring around the steering as some cables tended to get cut due to too tight cable ties.

I had an R1100R for several years and did quite a few long trips across to France, Italy and Spain, two up, loads of carrying capacity and with a few tweaks, hand guards, screen etc, sufficient weather protection without the weight and bulk of the RT. (good though they are...:green gri)

Strangely enough, the only time it ever let me down was engine cutting out in Kensington High St.
As mentioned above, the wiring harness was very snug around the steering head and an ignition wire had fractured inside the harness sheathing. Too many cable ties securing the harness at that point.
The RAC guy knew all about this, straight on it, fault found, repaired and under way in 15 mins..! :D:D

All in all a very capable and under rated machine. I'd get another Roadster, great bikes. :clap
 
I had an R850R....which I only bought because I couldn't find a REALLY nice R1150R at the time....(the 850 that I bought really was as new)

Lovely high quality bike, which was typical of that era of BMWs. Only thing wrong with it was that gutless 850 motor (I have had 1150 and 1200 GSs)

Seriously.....If you don't buy it, put it up for sale here.....:thumb2
 
I quite fancy a 1150R, but I have the feeling that they have a brake servo fitted, which can I believe give trouble.

Yes, they can, but you can also remove them at no cost except maybe a few hours of your time. The plus side is that it make the bike about 3kgs lighter as well.
 
I actually got over to have a good look at the R1150R today, the bike is a 2003 non servo model in silver with black crankcases and silver barrels and heads. The mileage is 12,000. Two owners father and son from new. It comes with BMW black abs panniers and heated grips. The condition is very good indeed, virtually mint, apart from a very small scratch to a valve cover and some rust corrosion to the lower rear suspension trailing arm, it is just about perfect.

This bike has spent most of it's life in a shed covered in a very light film of 365 preservative oil to the metal parts hence it's pampered condition. It started well and ran well, and was much quieter (mechanically) than my GS-LC and sounded quite sweet in comparison.

A pair of new tyres wouldn't go amiss as the ones fitted have probably gone off with age.

So what is it worth? I've looked around for other similar bikes to get a guide price but R1150R's seem to be non-existent on the market at the moment, maybe that's seasonal.

Any ideas guys?
 
Re value.....only you can decide what it's worth to you....and everyone and his gog here will have a different opinion....

Ebay 'completed/sold listings' indicates £2,500 ish....and that's low mileage with FSH.

FWIW, that's the sort of money that I would pay for a nice one......:)
 
I had one for 5 years and really enjoyed it. The telelever suited it really well, it was very comfortable, had rock steady handling and as before a very underated bike as many sports bikes who blasted past me down the straights found out through the twisties. It had bags of character too. Rescue it, you won't regret it.
 


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